The Rainbow Trout was originally introduced into the UK and also into New Zealand and Australia from the USA . The Rainbow Trout is used for stocking trout fisheries and for supplying the food industry. Mainly the Rainbow Trout remains contained in specific lakes, gravel pits, reservoirs etc. Escapees compete for food and habitat with Brown Trout. The Rainbow Trout will eat almost anything, from bottom-dwelling invertebrates, to fish and insects from the surface. As they mature they become increasingly piscivorous. Rainbow Trout have a high growth rate, but tend not to breed in the UK, as they require warm water temperatures. Another reason for no breeding is that now, most farmed fish are usually triploid and sterile - these use all their energy input for growth rather than  reproduction. Fishing flies for Rainbow Trout run from imitative flies like Caddis, damsel nymphs or Epoxy minnow flies to impressionistive flies like GRHE flies and Pheasant Tail fishing flies through to flies like blob fishing flies and lure flies or streamer fishing flies which do not look like anything natural but are fishing flies that trigger the Rainbow Trout's predatory nature!

Brown Trout Flies

The Brown Trout is a natural species of fish found in many rivers and occassionally in lakes and fisheries where these many be stocked by fishery owners.  Brown Trout are generally looking for trout flies that are immitative of the natural food found in their environment, it may be a Blue Winged Olive or Caddis  flies or shrimp or Rhyacophila invertebrate nymph trout flies look similar i.e. they are imitative or exact imitative of the naturate trout flies. With imitative trout flies the trout flies look similar to the natural  trout flies  or invertebrates found. Generally imitative trout flies must be fished so that they look like the 'natural' i.e. when fishing dry trout flies such as a Blue Winged Olive they cannot be dragged across the current by the fly leader, after all natural Olive flies do not skate across the water.

Alternatively the trout flies may be suggestive fishing flies. Suggestive or impressionistic trout flies may be trout flies like the gold ribbed hares ear or pheasant tail, these trout flies do not imitate any invertebrates or natural trout flies but flies will appear to look and act like the natural food for the Brown Trout. Above 12" in size Brown Trout will prey heavily on fish so try using woolly bugger flies or epoxy minnow flies which are good imitators of small fish.